


My Missing Piece(s)

by insanity_times_ten



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: (except moms and kids but y’know), Asthma, Children, F/F, Gen, Mom!Anne, Mom!Cathy, Online Dating, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Single Parents, food allergies, imma try to keep this pg-13, jane owns a restaurant, lina and anna are dysfunctional, no one is related, thats how cool she is, watch me fail
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:01:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27018475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insanity_times_ten/pseuds/insanity_times_ten
Summary: Anne meets Cathy, another single mother, through an online dating app.
Relationships: Anne Boleyn/Catherine Parr, Catherine of Aragon/Anne of Cleves
Comments: 46
Kudos: 84





	1. Just One Spark

**Author's Note:**

> look at me starting another fic instead of finishing something (where have we seen this before lol)  
> uhm tw: asthma attack (idk if that’s a trigger for anyone but better safe than sorry ig)

“Well, no time like the present,” Anne said to no one in particular. She pressed the “download” button, and the dating app her cousin had been raving about began to install on her phone. The 23-year-old got up from the couch and grabbed a snack before creating her profile on the new app. Most of the questions were easy: the usual name, gender, phone number, etc., but there was one thing that made her stop in her tracks. The “looking for” screen.  _ Something  _ inside her head made her uncheck “men” and select “both men and women”.

The first possible match that came across her screen was a man named Henry, who claimed to be twenty-four, but looked about ten years Anne’s senior. Disgusted, she swiped left, not even giving him a chance.

The next person to pop up was her brother. Another swipe to the left, obviously.

_ Third time’s the charm, right? _ Anne thought. She looked at her screen, and smiling up at her was a woman named Cathy, who was a year younger than her. Interested, Anne clicked on her profile and was greeted with more pictures. Cathy on a motorcycle that probably wasn’t hers, Cathy on a tire swing, Cathy holding… a little girl? Anne scrolled down to Cathy’s bio, which read: “Looking for someone to love both me and my baby girl. I’m an aspiring writer, an early riser, and a Netflix addict; she loves craft projects, presents, and reading stories.”

Anne smiled. Someone in the same boat as herself. She swiped right, and seconds later, her phone dinged with a message from Cathy. 

**Cathy:** _Hey! Looks like we matched. I’m really excited, you seem like a great person. Mind telling me a bit about yourself?_

**Anne:** _ Well usually I’d hesitate to tell my dates this but after looking at your profile you seem like you’d understand. I have a daughter as well she’s five.  _

**Cathy:** _ Yeah, I completely understand why you’d be reluctant to share that. My girl, her name’s Mae, just turned three.  _

**Cathy:** _ What kind of things do you like to do? Any hobbies? I do a lot of cross-stitch and crocheting, although I’ve recently discovered scrapbooking.  _

**Anne:** _ I like to paint n sculpt. Never tried crocheting before is it any fun? _

**Cathy:** _ It’s pretty nice, especially in the winter when you can’t do much except sit inside and drink hot cocoa.  _

**Cathy:** _ What are you looking for in a significant other? _

**Anne:** _ Honestly I want someone who will take care of me when my depression gets really bad. And someone who loves my daughter. And (this is gonna sound really cliche I’m sorry) someone who will hold me through the night just because they love me.  _

**Anne:** _ Sorry did I scare you off? _

**Cathy:** _ No, it’s just… that’s almost exactly what I’m looking for. _

**Cathy:** _ I think I like you.  _

**Anne:** _ I think I like you too.  _

**Anne:** _ We should meet up. We could go somewhere with our kids like the park. Maybe the one by the library? _

**Cathy:** _ Okay. How does tomorrow at 6 pm sound? That gives me enough time to go home and change out of my work clothes. _

**Anne:** _ Yeah sounds good _ **.**

**Cathy:** _ Alright then, it’s a date! _

**Anne:** _ Don’t say that you’ll jinx it.  _

**Cathy:** _ Then… it’s not a date! _

Anne turned off her phone and sighed. Barely fifteen minutes on a dating app and she’d already gotten a date. After a quick glance at the clock on the wall, she went out to go pick up Lizzie from preschool.

The next evening at around five o’clock, Anne had just finished tying Lizzie’s unruly red hair into low pigtails and was beginning to pull her own hair into a messy bun when her phone dinged. It was Cathy.

**Cathy:** _Hey, I told Mae where we’re going tonight and now she’s bouncing off the walls. Any tips on how to calm her down?_

**Anne:** _ No lol Lizzie was always really mellow. But maybe promise her a happy meal if she’s quiet? _

**Cathy:** _ Worth a shot. _

Anne smiled and set her phone back on the bathroom counter. Even just little exchanges like that with Cathy made her heart flutter with excitement. She finished with her hair, then picked Lizzie up and put her on the bathroom counter. Anne leaned down and locked eyes with her daughter.

“Lizzie, sweetheart, do you know where we’re going tonight?” she asked.

“No, Mama,” Lizzie replied, polite as ever.

“Well, Mama was talking to a girl on the phone, and we’re going to the park to meet her and her little girl. Will you be good for me?”

“Uh-huh. Do I get to play?”

“Of course you do, baby! Why would we be going to the park if you weren’t gonna get to play?”

“I dunno.”

“Alright. Do you wanna change out of your school clothes?”

Lizzie shook her head. “No. Can I have a snack?”

“Sure. What do you want?”

“Umm… a granola bar, please?”

“Okay. You have such good manners, you know that?”

“I know. Thank you.”

“Okay, hop down from there, then we’ll go out to the kitchen and get you your snack.” Anne grabbed Lizzie’s hands and helped her down from the counter. Lizzie ran out to the kitchen and grabbed the box of granola bars from the cabinet.

“Lizzie, I’m gonna go get changed. Don’t hurt yourself or anything,” Anne called, ducking into her room. She stood in front of the small wardrobe for a while before deciding on a cropped sweatshirt and ripped jeans. She pulled on those clothes and checked the time. It was only five-thirty.

“Hey, Lizzie-Beth, what do you say we go to the park early?” she asked, walking back into the kitchen.

Lizzie’s eyes lit up. “Yeah!”

“Okay then, go get your epipen and we’ll head out.”

“What about-”

“I’ve got your inhaler in my purse. You’re good to go. Shoes and jacket, then we’re out the door.” Lizzie grabbed her epipen off of the kitchen counter and gave it to her mother before putting on her tennis shoes and a light pink jacket. 

Once they were at the park, Lizzie ran right to the swings. Anne followed close behind, not wanting to let Lizzie out of her sight. She never considered herself a helicopter parent, she just didn’t want her daughter to get hurt.

Lizzie hopped onto a swing. “Mama, push me!” she demanded.

“Ah, ah, ah!” Anne chided. “What do you say?”

“Please?”

“Alright.” Anne set to pushing Lizzie, and after a while, a woman Anne thought she recognized stepped onto the playground. She stopped Lizzie’s swing and led her over to where the other woman was standing and waved.

“Hey, are you Cathy?” Anne asked when they arrived next to her. 

“Oh, yes,” Cathy said. ”You must be Anne! And who’s this with you?”

“I’m Elizabeth. Mama calls me Lizzie, though.” Lizzie extended her little hand toward Cathy, who shook it, chuckling.

“Well, Lizzie, I’m Cathy, and this is my daughter, Mae. Why don’t you guys go play? That is what we came to do, after all.”

Lizzie turned to Mae. “C’mon,” she said, “there’s no one on the swings.”

“Be careful!” Anne called as the two ran towards the swings. Then, turning to Cathy, she said, “How about we sit down for a bit?”

“That would be lovely,” Cathy replied. The two made their way to a nearby bench and made sure the girls were still in their line of sight before sitting. 

“So,” Anne began, “you mentioned yesterday that you needed time to change out of your work clothes. What do you do?”

“I work in one of the factories here in town, and then I clean houses and do some tutoring for a little extra where I can get it. What about you?”

“I just started a marketing position for the hospital. It’s pretty nice.”

Cathy nodded. “I wish I could’ve stayed in school. Then maybe I wouldn’t be working three jobs.”

“What do you mean?” Anne asked, cocking her head to one side.

“I got pregnant when I was nineteen. I was in college, my parents pulled their financial support, that whole thing. I had to drop out just to make sure I had food and a place to stay.”

“Wow, that… that really sucks. What would you wanna be if you could go back to school?”

“Hmm… maybe a teacher? I haven’t thought about it much, really. I was originally in school for a theatre degree, isn’t that just silly?”

Anne nodded slowly, unsure of how to feel about Cathy’s last statement. From somewhere near the swings, she heard a cough, followed closely by a second, then a third. 

“Shit, that’s my kid!” she explained to Cathy. She grabbed her purse and sprinted over to where Lizzie was standing. Lizzie was panicking, which made the whole attack worse. Anne frantically searched in her purse for her daughter’s rescue inhaler. She pulled one out, but quickly realized that it was an empty one and put it aside. She turned to Cathy, who had followed her from the bench. 

“Can you look for her inhaler?” she asked. “I swear it’s in there somewhere.”

“Yeah, it’s no problem,” Cathy replied. Anne moved her attention back to Lizzie. She sat on the ground and pulled the girl into her lap.

“Lizzie, can you grab my hand?” She did as she was told. “Good girl, good, good. Okay, now can we try to slow your breathing down? Remember, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Ready? In...and out.” The two breathed together until Cathy handed the inhaler to Anne. “Alright, baby, I’ve got your inhaler now. Do you wanna do it or do you want me to?”

Lizzie grasped for the inhaler, which Anne gladly relinquished. She relaxed as the medicine opened her airways and made breathing easier for her.

“Is she okay?” Cathy asked.

“Yeah, she’s fine,” Anne replied. “She’s had asthma for about a year and a half now. We’re still learning, but we’ve got it pretty well under control, don’t we, Lizzie?”

Lizzie nodded. “Can we please go get dinner now?” she asked.

“Sure. Why don’t you ask Cathy and Mae if they’d like to come along?”

She turned to Mae. “Do you wanna come with us to get dinner?”

Mae looked up at her mom. “Can we, Mommy?”

Cathy sighed. “I guess so. Find out where we’re going.”

“There’s this little place not too far from here,” Anne explained. “Lizzie and I go there a lot. They’re really good about making sure her food is safe.”

“‘Cause of my allergies,” Lizzie clarified.

“Oh, what’re you allergic to?” Cathy asked. “Just so I don’t accidentally buy you something you can’t have.”

“I have an...ana…”

“Anaphylactic,” Anne prompted.

“An-a-phy-lac-tic reactions to dairy and shellfish.”

“They’re pretty easy to deal with,” Anne added. 

Cathy nodded. “I know people who have soy allergies. Those are pretty annoying.”

“Yep, Lizzie lucked out.”

“Mommy, I’m hungry!” Mae whined.

“How far is the restaurant from here?” Cathy asked.

“Just a couple blocks. We can walk if you guys want to.” The women looked down at Lizzie and Mae expectantly.

“Yeah!” they yelled.

“Alright, sounds like we’re going!” Cathy and Anne herded the girls away from the playground and started down the sidewalk.


	2. The Art of Taking Children Out to Eat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *the jeopardy theme song plays as i struggle to come up with a single thing to say*  
> no tws for this chap (wow ok)

As soon as the four walked into the small diner, the owner’s face lit up with recognition. “Anne, Lizzie! Nice to see you again! Your usual booth, I’m gonna guess?”

“Yes, please, Miss Jane,” Lizzie responded.

“Alright, you can go ahead and have a seat, then. Who’s this with you?”

“I’m Cathy, and this is my daughter, Mae. I’m a friend of Anne’s.”

Jane smiled warmly. “Well, it really is nice that you all came in, today’s been a little slow. I’ll get you two some menus, and I’ll be right over.”

Anne led Cathy to the booth that was practically reserved for herself and Lizzie. “How often do you guys come here?” Cathy asked.

“Enough,” Anne replied. ”Jane’s my next door neighbor, though, and sometimes her daughter babysits Lizzie, so we cross paths other places than here.”

“Do you know everyone that works here?”

“Well, it’s really a tiny place, so… yes. Jane’s daughter, Kat, is usually here, but she’s probably got homework to do. Anna and Lina work in the kitchen, they’re also dating, by the way, and then Jane runs the place.”

Cathy smiled. “It’s nice that you know people. Gives me connections.”

Jane appeared with the promised menus, giving Cathy the regular menu and kids’ menus with crayons to Lizzie and Mae. “Alright. What are we drinking tonight?”

“I’ll have a Coke,” Anne said, “and you know Lizzie wants apple juice.”

Jane nodded. “Coke, apple juice… and for you two?”

“I’ll just have water, thank you. Mae, what do you want?”

“Chocolate milk!” Mae exclaimed.

“And chocolate milk for her, I guess.”

“Alright, I’ll get those right out.” Jane turned and started to walk away from the table. 

“Okay, Anne, what d’you usually get?” Cathy asked.

“Well, normally I just get an order of cheese fries, but tonight I’m thinking chicken tenders. What’re you getting?”

“I dunno, I think the BLT sounds pretty good. Mae, what d’you want? There’s mini corn dogs, chicken tenders, grilled cheese…”

“Mac and cheese?” Mae asked excitedly.

Cathy scanned the kids’ menu. “Yep, there’s mac and cheese. Is that what you want?” Mae nodded. “What about you, Lizzie?”

“I’m getting the Lizzie Special,” she replied pointedly.

Cathy’s eyes widened. “The what?”

“The Lizzie Special,” Anne explained, “is a ham and egg sandwich and two pancakes. Lina came up with it when Lizzie got diagnosed.”

“That’s sweet of her!”

Jane came bustling back up to the table. “Alright, ladies, here are your drinks and a plate of fries for the table.”

“Jane, we didn’t order fries,” Anne pointed out.

“I know!” She leaned down to Anne’s level. “We’ve got a bet going in the back that you’re on a date. Fries are on the house,” she whispered. Anne nodded. Jane straightened. “Okay, then, are we ready to order?”

“I’ll have the BLT,” Cathy began.

“And for your side?”

“Umm… tater tots.”

“Great. Anne, cheese fries?”

“Not tonight. I’m thinking chicken tenders, barbecue sauce, and chips.”

“Alright, and a Lizzie Special for Liz?”

Lizzie smiled. “Yes, please.” 

“And for Miss Mae?”

“Mae, tell her what you want,” Cathy whispered.

“Mac and cheese, please,” Mae said.

“Good choice! I’ll have those out as soon as possible, but who knows how long that’ll be with those lovebirds in the kitchen.” She turned away from the table, shouting, “Anna! Lina! If you two are making out back there, I swear to god you will  _ not _ be getting paid for tonight!” There was a small crash from the kitchen, and Jane walked off with a satisfied smirk.

Lizzie leaned her head against Anne’s arm. “Are you tired?” Anne asked. She felt Lizzie nod. “Come here, baby.” Anne picked Lizzie up and put her on her lap. 

“I wanna go home,” Lizzie said, her face buried in Anne’s sweatshirt. 

“I know, love, I know. We’ll go home after we eat, and you can go to bed. You don’t have to take a bath tonight since you’re just going to Jane’s tomorrow.” 

Jane approached the table again and pulled a chair up to the end. “So, how is everyone tonight? Any plans for the weekend?”

“No,” Cathy said, “other than work.”

“Jane, can I have a quick word with you?” Anne asked. Jane stood, and Anne ushered her to the other side of the restaurant, near the entrance.

“Okay, what do you need?” Jane questioned. “You’re not usually like this.”

“Can you tell Kat to plan on Lizzie staying overnight tomorrow? I’m planning to take Cathy out again, just the two of us. Cathy might bring Mae over as well, I’m not sure if she has a plan for who’s gonna watch her, so… just be prepared.”

“Got it. So you two  _ are _ on a date, then?”

“Technically, yes. Who won how much?”

“Anna owes Lina five and me ten,” Jane stated proudly.

“Nice!” Anne congratulated her. “I’m gonna head back to the table so they don’t wonder what’s happening.”

“Alright, have fun on the rest of your date.” As Anne walked back to the table, she heard Jane yell, “Alright, Anna! Cough up the cash!”

“What was that all about?” Cathy asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Anne dismissed her question. Soon enough, Jane came bustling out of the kitchen, carrying their food. 

The four ate quickly, seeing as it was already eight o’clock. Nevertheless, Mae chattered on and on to Lizzie, who nodded along. They walked back to the park together to get the cars, and when it was finally time to go home, Mae turned around just as she was about to reach her car door and ran back to where Cathy, Anne, and Lizzie were still standing. She wrapped her arms around Lizzie’s middle and squeezed.

“Mae, honey, did you have fun playing today?” Cathy asked.

“Yeah!” Mae exclaimed. When Cathy gave her a pointed look, she turned back to Lizzie. “Thank you for playing with me today.”

“It’s no problem,” Lizzie replied. “I had fun too.”

When Anne and Lizzie got back to their apartment, after Anne tucked Lizzie into bed, she pulled out her phone and messaged Cathy.

**Anne:** _ Hey r u free tomorrow? At like 8? _

It took a minute for Cathy to respond.

**Cathy:** _ Yeah. You’re that eager to see me again? _

**Anne:** _ I’m just rlly glad I met u is all. _

**Cathy:** _ Oh. ‘Cause I really had fun tonight. _

**Cathy:** _ Are you picking me up tomorrow? _

**Anne:** _ Depends. Do u have someone to watch Mae? _

**Anne:** _ Cos I told jane u might bring her. _

**Anne:** _ For Kat to watch. _

**Cathy:** _ I don’t. Would Kat mind if I dropped her off there? _

**Anne:** _ Not at all she loves kids. U may want to send her with a bag tho cos we might be out pretty late.  _

**Cathy:** _ Sounds good. See you tomorrow! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> right then, imma sleep now


	3. let’s go out tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “oh, look what the cat dragged in.”  
> -me at the beginning of this chapter   
> tw for an appearance by ht himself and some lovely implies sexual content

_ Here he comes, here he comes, here he comes _ , Anne thought to herself as a familiar man approached her spot at the bar.

He clapped a large hand on her shoulder. “Hiya, stranger! Long time, no see!” he said, although it seemed more like shouting to Anne.

“Henry, great to see you again,” she replied through gritted teeth.

“Who’s this?” Cathy asked.

“Oh, Cathy! This is Lizzie’s absolute _ shitbag  _ of a father, Henry.”

“Now, Annie, be nice to me! We used to go out, don’t you remember?”

“Yes, and I  _ vividly  _ remember you knocking me up and then running as far away as possible.”

“Hold on,” Cathy butted in. “Is this the same guy that I’ve been hearing about girls getting catfished by? That says he’s around your age but he’s really some disgusting old man?”

“Hmm… y’know, they do look alike. You’re probably right.”

“Oh, please,” Henry said. “That’s too far beneath me.”

“But it wasn’t to get your seventeen-year-old girlfriend pregnant?” Anne turned to Cathy. “C’mon. Let’s get away from this dickwad.” The two got up and moved away from the bar, closer to the dance floor. 

“Wait!” Henry called. “You never told me your friend’s name!”

“None of your business!” Anne shouted back.

“Why did you ever go out with him?” Cathy asked.

“Beats me. Is Mae’s dad any better?”

“I dunno. He drugged and raped me, so probably not. I didn’t even know it happened till I found out I was pregnant. My girlfriend at the time left not too long after that.”

“That fucking sucks,” Anne said. Cathy flinched. “Sorry. I’ve pent up a  _ lot _ of curses over the past five years.”

“It’s fine, I’ve built up quite a few myself in the past three.” Cathy downed half of her drink and set the empty glass back on the table.

“Want another?” Anne asked.

“Dunno yet. What’re you having?”

“Just a rum and coke right now, but I think we should do a round or two of tequila and hit the dance floor.”

“That sounds like a fantastic plan,” Cathy said. “I’ll go get some.” Cathy got up from the table.

Anne stopped her. “You’re not going over there by yourself. There could be a… a… rapist! There could be a rapist out in that crowd, and I’m going to guess that you’re not ready for another child.”

“That’s harsh, Anne,” Cathy reprimanded her before bolting from the table.

Anne got up and ran after her, catching her arm. “Cathy! I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean it like that. But I care about you, and I’d hate for you to have a child and not be able to support them.”

“I know, but it’s not really a comfortable subject for me.”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know…”

“Anne. It’s fine. Quit apologizing.”

“C’mon, let’s sit back down.” 

As soon as they did, a waitress came over toting two drinks. “What’s this?” Cathy asked.

“Two tequila sunrises, from a man at the bar.”

“What’d he look like?” Anne pressed. “Red hair, scruffy beard, bigger around the middle..?”

“Exactly.”

“I’m sorry, then, we can’t accept these. But you could bring us a round of tequila shots, on my tab.”

“You’ve got it,” the waitress said, turning on her heel to get back to the bar.

The pair spent the next few hours dancing and doing countless shots. When they finally decided to leave, Anne went to pay the tab, only to learn that someone had already paid for it. While Anne was at the bar talking to someone, Cathy called an Uber. 

They returned to Anne’s apartment. Anne tried to unlock her door while Cathy leaned up against it. As soon as the door opened, Cathy tripped over her own feet and landed on her stomach with a solid  _ thud _ . Anne helped her up and stumbled down a hallway to her bedroom.

Anne woke up to copious amounts of sunlight spilling through her window and onto her face. She had no recollection of what had happened the night before, she only knew that A.) her head was killing her, B.) Cathy was in her bed, and C.) they were both naked. Next to her, Cathy stirred and whimpered, obviously irritated by the light coming into the room. Anne turned to look at the other girl.

“Oh, no,” Anne whispered. At least, she thought it was a whisper.

“Huh?” Cathy asked, still half asleep.

“Your neck. It’s got-”

“S’fine,” Cathy murmured, turning to face the other way.

“D’you want something to eat?” 

Cathy nodded. “Jane’s diner… do they do delivery?”

“I think so. Lemme go put on a shirt and then I’ll call in an order. Should we just get pancakes?”

“Sure. Can you grab me a shirt or something?”

“Uh-huh.” Anne attempted to get up but sat right back down. “Dizzy,” she explained.

“Lay back down. Where’re your shirts?”

“Umm… middle drawer on the right.” Anne was mostly quiet while Cathy got the shirts, but spoke up suddenly. “Crap.”

Cathy spun around, and her face showed signs of instant regret. “What?”

“Our kids… they were right next door. The walls in this place are thin.”

“I’m sure they were asleep by the time we got home.” Cathy pulled one shirt, an oversized black t-shirt with the Phantom of the Opera logo on it, over her head, then walked over to Anne’s side of the bed with the other shirt. “Arms up,” she instructed. 

“I can do this myself,” Anne protested, but a look from Cathy caused her to obey. She raised her arms and allowed Cathy to slip the shirt over her head.

“There. Anything else I need to do?”

“Get my phone?” Anne asked sweetly.

Cathy sighed, but retrieved it from the bedside table. “Here. And before you complain about a headache, just remember that you got us into this mess.”

“I’d hardly call this a mess. It’s more of… a happy accident! Also, I wanna ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll have to wait till after breakfast.”

“You  _ bitch _ ,” Cathy said in a low voice, a smirk beginning to form. “Now I’m gonna be thinking about it!”

“Oh, well.” Anne shrugged, unlocking her phone. She called Jane and ordered as many pancakes as Jane was willing to give them. 

Anna showed up about 20 minutes later with 12 pancakes divided between four takeout boxes. Anne paid her, took the pancakes, and set them on the table. The two sat down to eat. 

About midway through her pancakes, Cathy asked, “So, what were you gonna ask me?”

“Nope. I said  _ after  _ breakfast,” Anne replied. Cathy sighed, but dove back into her pancakes nonetheless.

When the two had finally finished, Cathy spoke up again. “So  _ now  _ will you ask me?”

Anne shrugged. “Sure. Will you be my girlfriend?” 

“Of course I will!”

“Lit.” Anne nodded. “We’ll make a rad couple, dontcha think?”

Cathy sighed. “Please stop.”

“Oh, come on!” Anne retorted. “I’m just having fun.”

“Very  _ annoying  _ fun,” Cathy quipped.

“Well, I’m your annoying girlfriend now, so get used to it.”

Cathy sat in silence, not sure how to respond. “When are we gonna go pick up our kids?” she asked after a little while.

“What, you’re that fed up with me already?” Anne joked, her voice filled with mock hurt.

“No, it’s just… it’s Sunday. That’s usually my day with Mae, since I work Monday through Saturday.”

“Hey, that’s alright. I’m the same with Liz, we usually go out for breakfast and do something fun with the day. We visit my mom a lot.”

“Really? What’s your mom like?”

“Oh, she’s the best. She took me to all my appointments when I was pregnant, she watched Lizzie so I could get a degree, and she pays for  _ everything  _ for Lizzie’s allergies and asthma, that’s one of the only things I let her pay for anymore,” Anne explained.

“I think I’d like to meet your mom sometime.”

“I think I’d like for you to meet her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well this was entertaining (and a pain in the ass) to write


	4. wait, don’t be sad

Jane waved as Anne walked into the diner. “Anne! You’re here awfully early for a Monday. What’s up? And where’s Lizzie?”

“She’s away for a couple nights. Mom wanted to see her,” Anne explained.

Jane nodded. “Well, you can have a seat wherever there’s a free spot, so basically anywhere.”

“Business is that slow?”

“Yeah. We’re incredibly understaffed, which leads to slower service, which adds up to bad reviews and less customers. I might have to shut down if this keeps up.”

“That’s no good,” Anne said, grabbing a seat at the counter. “Chocolate milkshake?”

Jane gave her a thumbs up. “Got it. Know of anyone looking for a job?”

“No, sorry,” Anne shrugged.

“Worth a shot,” Jane muttered. “How’re things with Cathy?”

“God, she’s just great,” Anne sighed. ”I took her out on Saturday night, and holy fuck, that was probably one of the best nights of my life. Had a little run-in with Lizzie’s dad, but he was only mildly intolerable.”

“And did you do anything after your date?” Jane asked, wholly curious.

“We may or may not have gone back to my apartment…”

“Anne!”

“If it helps any, I was so drunk I don’t remember anything that happened.”

“If you ask me, that’s worse than just hooking up with someone after the first date,” Jane reprimanded.

“But Jane!” Anne protested. “I really like Cathy.”

Jane put up her hands in surrender. “I’m not here to tell you how to live your life.” It was quiet between the two while Jane made Anne’s milkshake. “Anything else happen lately?” Jane finally asked.

Anne thought for a second. “No, not really. I’m missing my girlfriend, though, I might call her later…”

“Your  _ what _ ?” Jane spluttered.

Anne smiled a bit. “My girlfriend. Cathy and I are, y’know, ‘a thing?’”

Jane clapped. “Lina, Anna, get your asses out here! It’s time for a celebration!” The two emerged from the kitchen, both a bit red-faced.

“Anna,” Anne said, “you’ve got a little something on your- you know what, actually, never mind.”

There was a huge  _ thud _ as Jane got out a huge tub of ice cream and set it on the counter. “Anne’s finally got herself a girlfriend,” she explained as she scooped it into a bowl.

“About damn time,” Lina said.

“ _ Scheiße _ !” Anna cursed at the same time. “Now I owe this one more money.”

“Or you could pay me in a  _ different  _ way,  _ mi amor _ …” Lina thought aloud, wrapping an arm around Anna’s shoulders.

“Alright, alright, none of that here,” Jane reprimanded, setting the dish of ice cream closer to Anne and pouring chocolate syrup over it. “Let’s eat.”

Anne trudged into her apartment an hour later, thinking. She pulled out her phone, maybe she  _ would  _ call Cathy. It was nearing five o’clock, so she’d be getting off work soon. She could wait five minutes or so. Anne put her purse down on the counter, got a glass from the sink, filled it with lemonade from the fridge. She set her glass on a coaster on the coffee table and sat on the couch. She stared at the clock on the wall until finally,  _ finally _ , it was five. She grabbed her phone and pressed the call button next to Cathy’s name.

She picked up after the second ring. “Hey.”

“What’s up?” Anne asked.

“Not much,” Cathy replied. “Hanging out with Mae at home.”

“What about work?”

“Got off half an hour early and surprised the little gremlin at daycare.”

Anne chuckled. “If you’re not doing anything tonight, do you wanna come over? Lizzie’s not home, but we could just hang out with Mae. Have dinner, watch a movie-”

“I’d love that,” she interrupted. “What time?”

“Hmm… how quickly can you get here?”

“Fifteen minutes, tops.”

“See you then.” Anne hung up and sighed. She went to her room and changed into a sweatshirt and leggings, then threw her hair up into a messy bun. After that, she ran to the pantry and did a mental inventory, thinking about what she could make.

There was a knock on the door a few minutes later. “It’s open!” Anne called, having just gotten comfy in her chair.

“Anne!” Mae shouted, running into the living room. Then, stopping in confusion, “Where’s Lizzie?” she asked.

“She’s staying with her grandma for a couple days,” Anne explained. “It’s just the three of us tonight. How does that sound?”

“Good!” Mae bounced around in excitement for a little bit.

“Great. Why don’t we find something to make for dinner, and then we can watch a movie.”

“Sounds good to me,” Cathy said from where she was standing in the doorway to the living room.

“What’re you still doing over there?” Anne asked. “Come here, beautiful.” 

Cathy tentatively stepped closer, ultimately choosing to lean over the back of the couch. “This good?” she asked.

Anne pretended to think. “No. Closer.”

Cathy strode towards Anne, finally straddling her as best as she could, given that Anne was sitting in a large recliner. “How about this?” she whispered gruffly in Anne’s ear.

“There’s a child in the room, I’d suggest avoiding that unless you want to corrupt her.”

She turned around to just sit in Anne’s lap. “What do you want for dinner, Mae-Mae?”

Mae, who had settled herself on the sofa, thought for a minute or two. “Spaghetti,” she answered with a nod.

“I can do spaghetti,” Anne said. “Cathy?”

“Whatever you two want is fine with me,” Cathy replied, giving Anne a kiss on the temple and getting up to do the same to Mae.

“Cathy, can we talk really quick? In private?” Anne asked.

“Yeah.” She turned to Mae. “Give us just a minute, okay? I’ll be right back.” Mae nodded.

Anne led Cathy to her bedroom. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” Cathy replied.

“You’re not acting like yourself tonight. Something’s wrong, I can tell.” She took Cathy by the hand and brought her over to the bed. “Let’s sit.” 

Cathy complied, following Anne and curling herself into her, tucking her head under Anne’s chin. Finally,  _ finally _ , she let the long-pent-up tears fall.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” Anne tried to comfort her. “There’s no need to cry, just let me know what’s wrong so I can help.” Cathy just kept weeping, so Anne just held her and let her cry. She rocked back and forth, side to side, rubbed her back, stroked her hair, kissed the top of her head. Anything to make her feel better.

Cathy sniffed. “Annie…”

“I’m here,” Anne replied. “Just tell me what you need.”

“I don’t know… I just missed you.”

“I missed you too, Cath.”

“It’s funny, you know? We just saw each other yesterday. We haven’t even known each other for a week. And then we talk about missing each other.” The two settled into a comfortable silence, the only sounds being the two girls’ breathing.

Finally, Anne spoke up. “Oh, fuck this,” she said quietly.

“What was that?” Cathy asked.

Anne disregarded her question. “Cathy, I love you,” she admitted.

This caught her off guard. “What?” she sputtered.

“I love you,” Anne repeated, over and over, saying it like a prayer.

“I-” Cathy hesitated. “I love you too. So, so much.”

Mae ran into the bedroom. “Mommy!” she shouted.

“Hey, baby,” Cathy said. “Wanna come join the cuddle party?” Mae nodded and climbed into the bed. The three laid on the bed for a while, Anne and Cathy tickling Mae in between kisses and touches, anything to keep contact.

“Well, we should probably go start that spaghetti,” Anne said after about twenty minutes.

“Okay,” Cathy replied and left the room, but not before giving Anne another kiss, landing it squarely on her mouth. There wasn’t anything special about the kiss, it was just a soft, chaste one, but it was special because it was Anne and Cathy, Cathy and Anne. And that was enough for tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m so tired but i swear i’m going to sleep


	5. welcome back, friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO and welcome back to another episode of Incoherent Chapter Titles  
> i’m sorry it’s SIIIIX thirty in the morning but i wanted to post so here you go  
> no tws i can think of so enjoy

You know what, Anne?” Cathy asked the next evening, back at Anne’s apartment. Lizzie would be back the next day, so Cathy wouldn’t have to keep Anne company constantly. Not that either of them minded.

“What?” Anne replied. They were laying in Anne’s bed, tangled up with each other (fully clothed, thank you very much), while Mae watched a Disney movie in the living room.

“I never  _ actually  _ met Kat when she was watching Mae.”

“Who answered the door, then? I’m nearly sure it wasn’t Edward.”

“It was Lizzie. But who’s Edward?”

“Jane’s son. He’s seven. He’s got high-functioning autism, makes him pretty bad in social situations. He stays in his room a lot, he just gets embarrassed when he says something ‘wrong.’ He’s a smart kid, though. We talk about animals quite a bit. He knows lots about tigers.”

“That’s fun.” Cathy thought for a bit. “I’d like to meet him. Kat too.”

“Alright. I’ll set something up with Jane for next Sunday. She closes at six on Sundays so she can have time with her family. We can do dinner, maybe. Either here or at Jane’s, that way Eddie won’t have to be anywhere unfamiliar…” Anne blabbered on, thinking out loud.

“Anne,” Cathy said firmly. “You’re rambling.”

Anne’s face turned a shade of pink. “Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” The two were silent for a while until Mae came in and attacked Cathy with hugs and little kisses. “Is your movie over?” Cathy asked. Mae nodded against her neck. 

“What do you wanna do now?” Anne questioned. “Lizzie’s probably gonna be back in the next couple of hours.”

“‘M hungry,” Mae replied.

“Baby, I told you you couldn’t have snacks since you didn’t finish your dinner,” Cathy stated.

“Oh, c’mon, Cath. Just this once?” Anne pleaded.

“Please, Mommy?” Mae pouted.

“Oh, fine,” Cathy sighed. “Nothing too sugary, though. We have to go home soon.”

“Or you could stay,” Anne offered.

“Anne, it’s a Tuesday night…”

“And it’s getting late. Go home, get clothes for you and Mae, stay the night. I’ll stay here with Mae.”

“What about work tomorrow?” Cathy interrogated.

“We can take a sick day.”

“Fine,” Cathy reluctantly agreed after a while of thinking. She left to get clothes for herself and Mae while Anne made a plate of graham crackers with chocolate icing.

As soon as Cathy got back, she decided to go ahead and get ready to go to sleep, that way she, Anne, and the girls could watch a movie or do whatever else they wanted to. Anne went into her bedroom and sat on the bed while Cathy was in the shower, and when Cathy walked into the bedroom, she nearly jumped out of her skin upon seeing Anne. When she realized who it was, she closed the door and started drying off. Anne could’ve sworn she saw something shiny.

“Okay, if I’m wrong on this, I’m gonna sound like an idiot…” Anne trailed off.

“What is it?” Cathy prompted.

“Is your bellybutton pierced?” Anne asked.

“Oh, yeah, it is. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering. I like it, though.”

Cathy hummed her thanks. “I have a tattoo as well. Wanna see?”

“Sure!” Anne exclaimed. Cathy swept her hair to one side, displaying her tattoo, a heart with Mae’s name written in a fancy script inside it. “Ooh, that’s pretty,” Anne admired.

“Isn’t it? I wanna get more, but I’m not sure what I’d want yet.”

Anne swallowed to restrain herself from blurting out that they should get matching tattoos. “Why don’t we go see what the girls are up to?” she recommended instead.

“I already checked. They’re playing in Lizzie’s room, not sure what, but they’re getting along.”

“Then we can talk,” Anne suggested.

“Or we could kiss,” Cathy countered.

Anne’s forehead wrinkled. “What?”

“Oh, nothing,” Cathy dismissed Anne’s question. “How was your day?”

“No, no, no,” Anne said firmly. “What did you say?”

“I asked you how your day was,” Cathy replied.

“Before that?”

“I suggested that we could kiss,” Cathy said, locking eyes with Anne.

“Do you… do you want to?” Anne asked nervously.

Cathy, who had been putting her pajamas on during this exchange, sat down next to Anne on the bed and rested a hand on Anne’s thigh. “That depends,” she answered. “Do  _ you _ want to?”

Anne shrugged. “Not necessarily.”

“Why not?”

“I know the girls are occupied, but they could walk in at any second, and I feel like we’d go a lot further than just kissing,” Anne explained.

Cathy nodded. “I get what you mean,” she said. “I’m sorry, I don’t even know why I suggested that. I guess my mind got ahead of me.”

Anne smiled softly. “That’s alright.”

“So, how was your day?” Cathy asked.

Anne laughed. “Pretty uninteresting, at least until you and Mae came over.” She looked at the time, nearly eight o’clock. “I’m gonna go tell Lizzie to put on PJs,” she said, getting up from the bed.

“Tell Mae as well!” Cathy called after her.

Anne came back a couple of minutes later. “I told them five minutes till bedtime,” she explained. “Lizzie’s already dragged out her sleeping bag for Mae.” 

Cathy chuckled. The two made idle chatter until, as promised, they went to tuck the girls into bed. Not too soon after, they decided they were tired, even though it was only eight thirty. Before Anne turned out the light, Cathy pressed her up against the wall and kissed her.

“That… was hot,” Anne panted after Cathy pulled away.

“Not as hot as you,” Cathy retorted with a smile. She gave Anne a kiss on the cheek. “Nighty night,” she said.

A few hours later, close to midnight, Mae wandered into Anne’s room. She stood next to Cathy’s sleeping form, whispering, “Mommy, Mommy.”

Cathy groaned. “What do you need, baby?”

“Had a bad dream,” Mae whimpered. 

“Okay. Do you wanna sleep with me?”

Mae nodded. “Sleep with you and Mama.”

“Alright, crawl on up here.” Mae climbed into the bed and snuggled into Cathy’s side, promptly falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y E E T
> 
> (i’m so sorry)


	6. we kiss, we make up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dfwdfwdvefsfs sorry for not updating i’ve been working on putting new meaning to “head empty no thought”

“Uh, Annie?” Cathy asked the next morning. “Can I talk with you for a second?”

“Of course, love,” Anne replied, “what do you need?”

“I just thought I should tell you something that happened last night.”

“Alright, what happened, then?”

“Last night… well, Mae had a nightmare, and she came to crawl in bed with me…” Cathy sighed. “I have a feeling you’re not going to like what happened after that.”

“That’s alright,” Anne reassured her. “I want to know what’s going on.”

“Well, she came into your room, and she woke me up and told me she had a nightmare, and then I asked her if she wanted to sleep with me, and she… she called you Mama… I don’t know what to do about it.”

Anne thought for a minute, leaning against the kitchen counter. “I’m not quite sure what you want me to do about it either,” she said with a shrug. “I personally don’t mind her calling me Mama, if you’re not opposed.”

“I’m okay with it. What do you think Lizzie’s gonna do?”

“Not sure. I’ve always been Mama and she’s always been my baby… she’s handled this really well so far, though. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Alright,” Cathy said, ready for a change of subject. “What are we doing for breakfast?”

“I have pancakes, sausage, eggs-”

“No, nothing fancy. I’m good with cereal.”

“What about Mae?”

“She likes waffles, but she doesn’t-”

“Waffles, then,” Anne interrupted. “Waffles for everyone!”

“Anne,” Cathy started, “you really don’t need to make waffles.”

“They’re toaster waffles, Cath. It’s not that bad.”

Cathy brushed some hair behind her ears. “Sorry. I’m still reeling a bit from last night, I guess.”

“Don’t apologize, love.” Anne pressed a kiss to Cathy’s forehead. “It’s a big change, it’ll take some time to get used to.”

Cathy backed away. “I’m sorry, this just… I think we’re moving way too quickly into this.”

“We can take it slower. That’s not a problem for me.”

“It’s a bit late for that now, don’t you think?”

Anne led Cathy to the sofa. “What do you mean?”

“We’ve been dating for a week, to put that into perspective for you. We’ve already talked about introducing me to your mother, we’ve cuddled multiple times, we’ve had dinner together half the week… for god’s sake, Anne, we’ve had sex-”

“We were drunk!” Anne interjected.

Cathy snapped up from the couch. “And that suddenly makes it mean less?”

“Love, please calm down-” Anne tried.

“See what I mean? We’re moving too fast.”

Anne sat back. “You should’ve told me you thought this wasn’t going slowly enough. I would’ve been more than happy to back off for your sake.”

“You never asked-”

“Because I thought you liked it!” Anne was the one to interrupt this time.

“I did, but it just got to be too much too soon.” Cathy sighed, then sat back down on the couch. “I hope you understand.”

Anne nodded. “I do. And I have an idea.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s wait for the girls to wake up, then we can make the waffles. We may as well do something together since we’ve already called in sick. But either way, we’ll go our separate ways, and take a break from each other for like… two days, that should be long enough for everyone to cool off. Then, on Saturday, we can meet up somewhere neutral, the library or somewhere, and we’ll start fresh. We can just pretend like none of this happened.”

Cathy shrugged. “That might work. I guess we can try it.”

“Of course we can. And two days isn’t even that long.”

“What’ll the girls think about it?” Cathy asked, concerned.

“Liz probably won’t mind, but Mae…”

“She’ll be fine,” Cathy assured herself.

They went out for lunch and took the girls to the park before going to their respective apartments. As Anne had predicted, Lizzie and Mae were both more than okay with the little break.

The two mother-daughter duos met up on Saturday at a café Cathy knew of. When Cathy saw Anne, she ran to give her a hug.

“Missed me that much, huh?” Anne quipped.

“Yeah,” Cathy replied, nestling into Anne’s arms.

“Well, I missed you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhh i’m sorry it’s so short, my brain’s been a real butt here lately but i hope you liked it! comments appreciated!


	7. secrets, secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick lil tw for some derogatory language

“Kat-Kat!” Mae screamed, running into Jane’s apartment. Edward clapped his hands over his ears at the sudden sound.

“Hiya, Mae! What’s up?” Kat asked, kneeling down to meet the three-year-old.

“Mommy wanted to meet you,” Mae stated.

Meanwhile, Lizzie cautiously made her way over to show Edward her new animal book. “Hey, Eddie, look at this,” she tried.

“What is it?” he asked.

Lizzie climbed onto the couch next to him. “I got a new book today. D’you wanna look at it with me?”

Edward pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Sure. It’s not a pop up book though, right? I don’t like those.”

“Pop up books are weird,” Lizzie agreed, wrinkling her nose. She opened the book and Edward started pointing out different animals and spouting off facts about them.

“So, I never got all the details on how you two met,” Jane hinted. Everyone except Lizzie and Edward stood in the kitchen, just sort of hanging out.

“‘Sing in me, muse, and tell the story-’” Anne joked.

“Did you… did you just quote the freaking Odyssey?” Cathy sputtered.

Anne smirked. “Yeah. I read!”

“Clearly,” Jane replied. “Now just tell the story!”

“There’s really not much to tell,” Cathy admitted. “We matched on a dating app and started talking.”

Kat sighed. “I’ll never find love like that.”

“What was that about?” Anne inquired.

Kat hesitated. “She’s having a hard time deciding if she wants to date boys, girls, both, neither…” Jane said for her.

Cathy wrapped an arm around the sixteen-year-old’s shoulders. “That’s alright, sweetheart. It took me four years. It apparently took Anne twenty seconds. You’ll figure it out.”

“I wish I could just be straight and be done. The kids at school are mean.”

“What sort of stuff do they do to you?” Jane questioned. “You’ve never said anything about a bullying problem.”

“No, it’s not to me, I just don’t want to become a target. They call people freaks, sluts, cripples, homos… The list goes on. I’d rather not go down in history as a freak or a homo, that’s really what it comes down to.”

“It’ll be okay. As long as you’re truthful with yourself, you’ll be fine,” Cathy said.

Kat gave a small smile. “Thanks.” She turned to the little girl in her arms. “Mae, why don’t you go see what Liz and Eddie are doing?”

“They’re just reading,” Mae said. “That’s boring.”

“Go see what they’re reading. I bet it’s interesting,” Kat said.

Mae sighed dramatically. “Fine.”

A few hours later, just as Cathy and Anne were getting ready to go their separate ways, Lizzie tugged on Anne’s sleeve. “Mama, can Mae stay with us tonight?”

“Please?” Mae added. 

“If Cathy says she can,” Anne said.

“Please, Mommy,  _ please _ ?” Mae begged.

“Alright,” Cathy agreed.

“Do you want to stay as well?” Anne offered. 

“No, I’d better get home. Mae, be good, okay?” Mae nodded in response.

“What do you girls want for dinner?” Anne asked, back in her and Lizzie’s apartment.

“Chicken nuggets!” Mae exclaimed.

“Liz? Any disagreements?”

Lizzie shook her head. “Nope. Chicken nuggets sound good.” 

The girls played together until it was time for dinner, and after they had their chicken nuggets they watched Brave together. At bedtime, Anne tucked the two in, but they didn’t go to sleep.

“I have a secret,” Lizzie sang.

Mae shot up from Lizzie’s sleeping bag. “Secrets, secrets, are no fun unless you share with everyone,” she recited.

“Eddie  _ kissed  _ me!” Lizzie exclaimed

Mae’s jaw dropped open. “On the lips?” she asked incredulously.

Lizzie nodded. “Uh-huh. I think he  _ like _ -likes me.”

“Lucky,” Mae pouted. “I’ve never had a boy like-like me!”

“Yeah, well, you’re in daycare still. Boys in daycare are stinky-poos,” the redhead informed her junior. “And, guess what!”

“What?” Mae asked, still completely enamored by Lizzie’s romantic escapades.

“I like-like him back,” Lizzie confessed. “We’re gonna get married and have four babies and ten cats.”

“Can I be the flower girl?” Mae questioned.

“Of course you can be the flower girl, Mae-Mae! And Kat and Maria and Mama are gonna be my bridesmaids.”

“Who’s Maria?”

“She’s my bestest friend in the whole wide world!” Lizzie exclaimed, seemingly appalled that Mae didn’t know who Maria is. 

The door to Lizzie’s bedroom opened a little bit and Anne poked her head in. “Girls, it’s past bedtime. You need to go to sleep before I separate you.”

“Okay, Mama,” Lizzie replied.

“I’m serious,” Anne continued. “It’s nearly eleven o’clock. Go to sleep.”

“ _ Okay _ ! We will!” Lizzie promised.

“You’d better. I shouldn’t be able to hear you in my room.”

“Okay, okay, night-night.”

The next morning, over a breakfast of pancakes, Anne asked, “So, what was so funny last night?”

Mae and Lizzie shared a look. “Uhh… well…” Mae began.

“Nothing,” Lizzie finished. “Mae just told me a joke.”

Anne nodded slowly and took a drink of her coffee. “Alright. Next time, I don’t want to hear you guys talking after bedtime.”

“You won’t!” Mae said.

“We promise,” Lizzie swore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m sorry if you don’t find this funny but this was wholly entertaining to write


	8. enter: beth boleyn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohhh christ yeah uh cathy meets anne’s mom and it’s thanksgiving but you wouldn’t know it because they go out (not to jane’s restaurant)

“Mom!” Anne shouted, dropping her duffle bag on the floor of the entryway.

“Anne! What’re you doing here?” her mom asked, running out of the kitchen.

“I thought I’d drop by. There’s a couple people I want you to meet, as well.” Anne waved Cathy and Mae inside. “This is my girlfriend, Cathy.”

“Girlfriend? But, Anne, you’ve never liked girls before.”

“I know, but I do now. Fact is, I love Cathy.”

“Alright. That’s alright, if that’s what you want.” She turned to Cathy. “I’m Beth, it’s nice to meet you. You’re the first person Anne’s brought home since  _ him _ , and I already know I like you. So, tell me: how did you two meet?”

“You’re gonna laugh...” Anne began.

“We met online,” Cathy stated. Beth only nodded. “Is that... is that a problem?” Cathy asked frantically.

“No, not at all. I was just wondering.” Gesturing to Mae, Beth asked, “And this is your little girl?”

“Yes, she is. Mae, can you say hello?” Mae tried her best to hide her face in Cathy’s leggings.

“Mae? That’s a pretty name for a pretty girl.”

Cathy knelt down to Mae’s level. “Hey. Can you please say hi to Lizzie’s grandma?”

“No,” Mae said firmly.

Beth joined Cathy on the floor. “I’ve got some cookies in the kitchen if you want some,” she tried.

Mae’s face lit up. “Can I have some?” she asked Cathy. 

Cathy shrugged. “I don’t care. That’s a question for Lizzie’s grandma.”

“Mrs. Lizzie’s Grandma, can I maybe have a cookie, please?” Mae asked.

Beth chuckled. “Of course you can! And you can call me Grandma Beth if you’d like.”

“Liz, why don’t you go show Mae where she can put her backpack?” Anne directed. Lizzie nodded and took Mae into another wing of the house.

“You girls can go sit in the living room,” Beth said to Anne and Cathy. “Do you drink wine, Cathy?”

“Oh, god, yes,” Cathy replied.

“We’ll get along just fine, then. What kinds do you like?”

“Rosé isn’t ever a bad choice-”

“Anne,” Beth interrupted, “you’ve found a girl after my heart.”

“I’m telling you, Mom, she’s a keeper,” Anne agreed.

“I’m bringing in a bottle of my favorite,” Beth said. “Anne, are you having some?”

“Why not?”

Beth cheered. “Fabulous!” She came into the living room carrying a bottle of wine and three glasses. As she settled herself into a chair, she asked, “So, Cathy, is there any chance I know your parents?”

“Oh, probably not, neither of them are from-”

“Cath,” Anne said, resting a hand on Cathy’s thigh. “She knows everyone.”

Cathy sighed. “Thomas Parr?”

“Doesn’t ring a bell.” Beth shrugged. “Your mother?”

“Maud Green.”

Beth’s face lit up. “Oh, I know her! We went to high school together!”

“You’re kidding,” Anne deadpanned.

“Were you friends?” Cathy asked.

“Oh, no. We couldn’t stand each other.” Beth stopped to take a sip of her wine. “Do you have any siblings?”

“Two sisters and a brother. I’m the oldest.” Cathy could feel herself relaxing and she couldn’t tell if it was the wine or Beth’s motherly energy.

“I’m the youngest,” Anne interjected.

“Yes, and I hoped to have more grandchildren by now, but Mary is entirely uninterested, Andrew is still single, and George and his wife are having trouble getting pregnant…”

“It’s too bad, really,” Anne agreed. “Janie’s so good with Liz, and I know she’d love to have a baby of her own.” 

“Andrew’s heading off to Australia now, and Mary’s got her designs.”

“I really haven’t got any idea what my siblings are up to these days,” Cathy admitted. “I think Elaine, she’s the youngest of the four of us, should have started high school this year.”

“Oh, dear, why did you lose contact with your family? Is it because you’re…”

“Lesbian,” Cathy prompted. “You can say it, it’s not a dirty word.”

“I know, dear, I just didn’t want to assume anything.”

“Oh, well, in that case, thank you. But no, they just kinda stopped reaching out after I got pregnant.”

Beth sighed. “It’s a shame not to have family to connect with, especially around the holidays.”

“I’m planning to try and set up a video call or something for Christmas this year,” Cathy said.

Anne set down her empty wine glass. “Are Mary or George coming for dinner?”

Beth nodded. “George said that he and Janie are coming. I’ve not heard anything from Mary yet.”

“May as well go ahead and call in the reservation. If she hasn’t said anything by now, she’s probably not coming,” Anne reasoned.

At dinner, after Anne, Cathy, Beth, and the girls were seated, George and Janie entered the room.

“Who’s this?” George asked, gesturing to Cathy.

“That’s my girlfriend, Cathy. Cathy, this is my brother, George and his wife, Janie.” Cathy waved at the newcomers.

“And who’s this pretty little girl?” Janie asked.

“That’s my daughter, Mae,” Cathy said. “She’s a little shy around strangers-”

“Not shy!” Mae exclaimed. “And I’m not little, either. I’m three!”

“Three? Why, you’re practically an adult!” Janie joked.

The group ordered drinks and appetizers. Once they had ordered their food, George spoke up.

“So, uh, Janie and I, we, um…”

Janie put her hand on his arm. “We have an announcement to make,” she finished for him.

Beth looked up from the word search she was helping Lizzie with. “Oh? An announcement, you say?”

“Yes,” Janie said. “I’m pregnant.”

Beth struggled not to choke on the drink of water she’d just taken. “Pregnant? Oh, Janie, dear, that’s amazing! How far along are you?”

“Nearly five months,” Janie stated. 

“Five? There’s no way you’re five months pregnant.”

“The doctor said I am. We also found out that we’re having a girl.”

Anne poked Lizzie in the side. “Hear that, Liz?” she asked. “You’re gonna have a little girl cousin!” Lizzie nodded and went back to working on her word search. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhm yes i’d like to give a quick shoutout to my motivation for leaving me the second i opened this google doc


	9. woooo backstory n stuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhm tw for choking (like someone chokes....not kinky)  
> also tw for mentioned divorce and alcoholism   
> mkay thanks enjoy the chapter!

“Hey,” Cathy whispered. Anne jolted awake. “Your mom said she’d have breakfast ready soon.”

“M’kay,” Anne grumbled, putting a pillow over her head and rolling over. She felt the mattress dip as Cathy sat down on the bed.

“I don’t know if this is a sensitive subject for you, but I haven’t seen your dad. Is he ever around?” Cathy asked.

Anne sat up. “He’s still alive. He was kind of an ass to Mom. Cheated on her, they got a divorce, that whole deal. I lived with him for two or three years, I think, but then Mom got custody of us. I don’t think I’ve seen him since I was ten years old or so.”

Cathy frowned. “That sucks. Did he ever get physical with you guys?”

“Nah, not that I remember,” Anne said. “He was about as much of an alcoholic as you can get, but he didn’t ever hit us.” She sat and thought for a moment. “Really, if you take out the affair and the fact that he was a drunk, he was a pretty okay dad.”

“Hm.” The two sat in silence for a while until Cathy’s phone dinged. “Oh my god,” she said after looking at the notification. “You’ll never guess who just messaged me.”

“Who?” Anne asked.

“My sister, Anneliese. Apparently my mom wants me to come home for Christmas this year.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Anne questioned.

Cathy shrugged. “I guess. They still don’t know I got over Jade.”

Anne made a face. “Jade?”

“My ex. The one who dumped me when I got pregnant.”

“Oh,” Anne said. “Okay. Have any of them met Mae yet?”

“No, but I guess they should have some right to meet her.” Cathy sighed. “I don’t know, it just seems kinda weird that they want nothing to do with me for four years and suddenly they want me back home to visit.”

“Yeah, it’s kinda weird.”

“Should I reply?”

“Sure. Ask her if your girlfriend can come.”

Cathy texted her sister back. “I’m sure you’re expecting me to say something about my family now.”

Anne shrugged. “If you want. I’ll listen if you wanna talk.”

Cathy sat for a bit, looked at her phone, answered another message from Anneliese. “I was an accident.”

“How d’you figure that?” Anne asked.

“My parents got married two months before I was born.”

“Oh, yeah, you probably were, then.”

“My mom always called us the rainbow family,” Cathy said.

“Why?” Anne inquired.

“She’s pan, my dad is bi, I’m lesbian, Anneliese is poly, my brother, William, is gay, and Elaine is queer. It’s wild.”

“Huh. My family is boring compared to yours. Mom’s straight, Dad’s straight as far as I know, both of my brothers are straight, I’m bi, and Mary is ace. Not a lot of representation.”

Just then, Janie poked her head into the room. “Breakfast is ready if you guys are hungry.”

“Didn’t know you guys were coming for breakfast as well,” Anne said.

“I didn’t either, until George told me to get dressed and get in the car.”

“We’ll be down in a bit. Thanks, Janie,” Cathy told her with a wave. She turned to Anne. “Apparently, Anneliese wants pictures to prove to my mom that I didn’t get back together with Jade.”

“Okay. Take a picture of me. I’m camera ready.” Anne struck a pose. 

Cathy took the picture, laughing. “Holy shit,” she said.

“Huh?” Anne said.

“You look  _ really  _ good in this light,” Cathy mused.

Anne crawled over to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Well, it  _ is  _ the golden hour, darling,” she said in a fake British accent.

“Do you even know what the golden hour is?” Cathy asked, laughing harder.

“Not a single clue.”

Cathy smirked. “Thought so.”

Lizzie and Mae ran into the room. Lizzie grabbed Anne by the wrist and pulled. “C’mon, Mama,” she grunted, “Grandma made pancakes!”

“We’ll be down in a second, okay?” Anne said.

“No, you’ll be down  _ now _ ,” Lizzie argued.

“Sounds like we’re going downstairs,” Cathy observed with another laugh.

Cathy and Anne went down the stairs. Lizzie and Mae had already scampered downstairs and into the dining room.

“The girls insisted on a ‘romantic’ breakfast for the two of you,” Beth said. “So we made pancakes and coffee.” She waved the couple into the dining room.

“We lit candles,” Mae announced.

“No,  _ Grandma  _ lit the candles,” Lizzie corrected.

“Right. Grandma lit the candles.”

“Well, can Cathy and I eat yet?” Anne asked.

“Yeah. Mama sits here,” Lizzie instructed, pointing to a chair, “and Cathy sits here.”

Anne and Cathy sat in their respective seats, and the girls left the room. 

“She sure likes to be in control,” Cathy said, reaching for the syrup.

“She does,” Anne replied. “She’s going to end up as president one of these days.”

Cathy nodded. “Mae really just likes to follow other kids around and copy them.”

“She’s three years old. Her personality will emerge eventually,” Anne reassured her.

The two ate their pancakes in silence, but just as Anne was about to say something, Lizzie ran into the room, all but in tears. She launched herself into Anne’s lap.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Anne asked, rubbing her daughter’s back.

“I-I said s-something funny a-and Mae ch-ch-choked on her f-food…” Lizzie sniffled. Cathy got up from her seat and ran out of the room.

“Lizzie, it’s alright, okay? Mae’s gonna be fine,” Anne assured Lizzie.

“It’s my fault, though,” Lizzie said through her tears.

“Sweetie, no, this isn’t your fault,” Anne said, pulling Lizzie closer. “You just wanted to make her laugh. You didn’t know she’d start choking.”

“I ruined your breakfast,” Lizzie apologized as Janie took Cathy’s place at the table.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, honey. Do you wanna go see Aunt Janie?” Anne asked. Lizzie nodded, crawled out of Anne’s lap, and climbed into Janie’s lap.

“Hey, babydoll,” Janie said. “Mae’s okay, if you wanted to know.” 

“Okay,” Lizzie replied, immediately scooting off of Janie’s lap and going into the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i watched the ratatouille musical. not bad


	10. meet the parents part the second

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aYO i’m BACK byotches  
> no tws i don’t think   
> enjoy!

Cathy stepped through the door. “I’m here!” she called. A girl who could have passed for an exact copy of Cathy sprinted into the foyer.

“Cathy!” the girl shouted, grabbing Cathy around the neck.

“Lainey!” Cathy returned the hug. “I missed you.”

“Missed you too.”

“Oh, I should probably introduce everybody,” Cathy said. “Lainey, this is my daughter, Mae, my girlfriend, Anne, and her daughter, Lizzie. Everybody, this is Elaine, my youngest sister.” Mae clung to Cathy’s leg, Anne said a quick hello, and Lizzie gave a shy wave. 

“You guys can call me Lainey if you want, I don’t mind. Cathy, you might wanna go say hi to Annie and Will before they get mad.”

“Alright. Are Mom and Dad home?”

“Dad’s in the living room. Mom’s at the store, I think.”

Cathy gave Elaine a thumbs up and walked into the living room. Thomas looked up from his newspaper. Cathy waved. “Hey, Dad,” she said. 

“Catty? It’s you?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she replied, running over to give him a hug. “Mom didn’t tell you I was coming?”

“Nope. It’s good to see you again, though.” Thomas pulled away from Cathy. “You‘re all grown up now.”

“I’ve gotta be a grownup. I have a daughter to look after.” Cathy turned and called for Mae, who came running into the living room. “This is your Grandpa Tom, Mae-Mae.” Mae gave Thomas a shy smile.

Thomas smiled. “She’s beautiful, Catty. Looks just like you.”

“Oh, uh, I also brought my girlfriend with me,” Cathy said, looking down at her feet.

“Well, get her in here as well! I’d like to meet her.”

Cathy turned again and called for Anne. Lizzie bounded into the room first, followed by her out-of-breath mother. “Dad, this is Anne and her daughter Lizzie,” Cathy introduced the two.

“Anne, it’s nice to meet you, I’m Tom. How long have you two been dating?” he asked.

Just as Cathy was about to answer, Anne replied with “Ten months.” Thomas nodded, clearly impressed. Cathy shot Anne a look.

The front door shut with a loud bang. “I’m home!” Maud sang, setting a couple of paper bags on the kitchen table.

“Mom! Cathy’s here!” Elaine exclaimed, sliding down the banister.

Maud nodded slightly. “That’s great, sweetie, get her in the kitchen. And I’ve told you a million times not to slide down that.”

Elaine walked through the kitchen, grabbing an apple out of one of the bags and taking a bite. “Yeah, yeah,” she said around her mouthful of apple, rolling her eyes. “‘Elaine, honey, don’t slide down the banister, you’ll fall and crack your head open!’” she mocked.

“Hey now, I bought golden oreos  _ just for you _ . I’d suggest being nice. And I told you once, tell your sister to come in here.”

Elaine smirked. “Cathy!” she shouted. “Mom says get your ass in here!”

Maud swatted Elaine lightly on the back of the head. “I could have done that. By the way, curse again and I take your phone.”

“You let Annie and Will curse!” Elaine whined. 

“They’re adults. Now, go get Cathy or I  _ will _ keep your presents until your birthday.”

Elaine sighed dramatically and shuffled into the living room. “Cath. Mom. Kitchen,” she said with a jab of her thumb.

“Thanks, Lainey,” Cathy replied, ruffling her sister’s hair as she walked past.

“Cathy, my goodness, let me get a look at you!” Maud exclaimed. “You look taller.”

“It’s these shoes,” Cathy explained, pointing out her heeled boots.

“And you must be Mae,” Maud mused, turning her attention to the girl in Cathy’s arms. “Annie’s been showing me all the pictures you posted on Facebook. How old is she, four?”

“Mae-Mae, can you show Nana how old you are?” Cathy prompted.

Mae held up three fingers. “I’m this many!”

Maud looked surprised. “Only three? You look much older. It must be your Mommy’s genes.”

“Everyone says I look like Mommy,” Mae said matter-of-factly.

“And Annie said you were bringing your girlfriend, where’s she at?” Maud asked, focusing back on Cathy.

“In the living room. Do you want me to go get her?”

Maud nodded. “Go save her from Elaine and your dad.”

Cathy set Mae on the floor. “Stay in here with Nana for a minute, okay?” Mae nodded, eyes trained on the floor.

There was a bit of an awkward silence before Maud asked, “Would you like to help me bake cookies in a little bit?”

“Sure,” Mae said.

Cathy pulled Anne into the kitchen. “Alright. Anne, this is Maud, my mom, Mom, this is Anne.”

“Hey!” Lizzie exclaimed. 

“Oh, and that’s Lizzie, Anne’s daughter,” Cathy added. “We have to go see Annie,” she said to Anne. “Mae, Lizzie, stay here, okay?” Cathy heard her mom ask the girls something about cookies as she led Anne up the stairs. They entered the game room, where Annie and Will were playing something on the Switch. Cathy knocked on the door frame. “What’s up, idiots?” she asked.

“Cath!” Annie exclaimed, pressing pause on the game and earning an annoyed look from Will.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“Our sister is here, dumbass. The one we haven’t seen in four years?” Annie put down her controller and crossed the room to hug Cathy. “Missed you, big sis.”

“And you can cut the bullshit right now,” Cathy replied.

“I did miss you, though.”

“I missed you too, but I’m not ‘big sis.’”

Annie took a step back. “Anyway. Plan on introducing us to your girlfriend?”

Cathy made a face at Annie before wrapping an arm around Anne’s waist. “This is Anne. We’ve been dating for… how long now?”

“Ten months,” Anne said with a nod.

Annie smiled. “Cool. We’ve got two more controllers, you guys wanna play?”

“Sure!” Anne took a seat on the floor, and Annie passed her a controller.

“You’ll have to wait till we’re done with this round. Cath?”

“I think I’ll just watch,” Cathy replied, sitting down next to Anne.

“Suit yourself,” Annie said, unpausing the game.

About an hour later, Mae came running into the room. “Mommy, Mommy,” she called. “Me and Lizzie and Nana are making cookies!”

“That’s great, sweetie. Can you say hi to Aunt Annie and Uncle Will?” Cathy asked.

Mae waved. “I’m gonna go help more now. Love you, Mommy. Love you, Mama.” She ran back out of the room.

“You let your daughter call your girlfriend ‘Mama’?” Will questioned.

“This is only, like, the second time she’s done it,” Cathy replied. She turned to Anne. “I wonder if she thinks it’ll make Lizzie mad?”

“It’s possible,” Anne supposed.

“Who’s Lizzie?” Annie asked.

“Lizzie’s my daughter. She’s five,” Anne stated. Annie just nodded before turning her attention back to the game.

Around ten o’clock that night, Cathy put on some slippers and walked out onto the small balcony, looking for Anne. Sure enough, there she was, leaning against the railing. “You okay? It’s not like you to run off,” Cathy asked.

Anne shrugged. “I’m thinking.”

“What about?” 

“I saw your parents tonight,” Anne said, a smile beginning to play on her face. “I want love like that for us.” She paused, lost in thought.

Cathy walked closer to Anne and slipped her hands into hers. “I want whatever you want, love.” She leaned her head against Anne’s shoulder.

“Cath,” Anne whispered.

“Hm?”

“That was… the first time you’ve ever called me ‘love.’”

“Is that okay?” Cathy asked, worried that she’d upset Anne.

Anne nodded. “Can I kiss you?”

“Annie, you don’t need permission-”

“I want your permission. I don’t want to have another fight because we didn’t communicate.”

Cathy sighed. “Yes. You can kiss me.”

Anne leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Cathy’s lips. The two stood quietly for a few seconds.

“It’s cold out here,” Cathy observed, breaking the silence.

“Yeah,” Anne breathed. “We should go in.”

“Probably,” Cathy said. Neither of them made any move for the door.

Eventually, Anne and Cathy made it inside and drifted off to sleep, each warm within the other’s embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nice parents yeyeyeye   
> we are THRIVING over here   
> comments and kudos mucho appreciated! bye for now


	11. lizzie has a boyfriend!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it’s getting sPiCy now

Anne woke up early the next morning and crept down the stairs, careful not to wake Cathy. Maud looked up as she walked into the kitchen.

“I had something to ask you and Tom,” Anne said.

“Tom’s not awake yet, but you can help yourself to some coffee or tea.”

“Thank you.” Anne began her search for a mug. 

“It’s no problem.” Maud took a sip of her coffee. “Aren’t you one of Beth Boleyn’s girls?”

“Yeah, she says you were her worst enemy.”

“God, she’s always telling stories. We weren’t enemies, necessarily. Just not friends.” Anne nodded, pouring coffee into a mug.

“What’s going on in here?” Tom asked, walking into the kitchen.

“Hey, honey. Anne says she’s got something to ask us, isn’t that right, Anne?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I was wondering, um, if I could ask Cathy to marry me?” Anne stopped to gauge their reactions. “I mean, if it’s okay with you guys... I wanted to get your permission,” she added frantically.

Maud practically jumped out of her seat to hug her. “Anne! This is just... it’s wonderful!”

“Welcome to the family, kid.” Tom patted Anne on the back.

Will walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. “What’re you guys doing down here?”

“Oh, Will!” Maud threw her arms around his neck. “Anne is going to ask your sister to marry her!”

“Mom,” Will groaned. “It’s too early to celebrate anything.” 

Mae and Lizzie snuck down the stairs and came up behind Anne. Then, Mae threw herself at Anne, shouting, “Mama!” Lizzie made a face and crossed her arms.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Anne replied, picking up the three-year-old. “Lizzie, can you follow me?”

Anne took the two girls into the living room and sat them down on the couch. She leaned down to their level. “Mae, Lizzie, my loves, I have a very important question to ask you. Do you think you can answer it?” she asked. 

They nodded excitedly. Anne looked around to make sure Cathy wasn’t downstairs and able to eavesdrop. 

“Alright, girls,” she finally said. “You know that I’ve been dating Cathy for a little while now. I want to ask her to marry me, but I don’t want you two to feel left out. So, tell me, am I allowed to ask her?”

Lizzie nodded. “Cathy really likes you. I think she’d say yes.”

Mae started jumping up and down on the couch. “Ask her, ask her, ask her!” she shouted. 

“Okay, okay,” Anne chuckled. “Do you wanna see the ring I’m gonna give her?”

Both girls nodded solemnly. Anne sprinted up the stairs and then back down after a bit. She walked back into the living room, holding a ring box. Sitting down on the coffee table, she opened the box and turned it towards Mae and Lizzie.

Lizzie gasped. “Mama, it’s beautiful.”

“Can I touch it?” Mae asked, bouncing excitedly.

Anne smiled. “I guess you can, Mae-Mae. Do you like it?”

“I  _ love  _ it,” Mae replied, sticking out a finger to stroke the diamond.

“Do you think your mommy will like it?” Anne inquired.

Mae nodded. “She’ll love it too.”

Cathy suddenly walked into the kitchen. “What’s all the celebration about?” she asked.

“Um… nothing?” Maud stuttered, completely and utterly blindsided.

Cathy gave her mother a strange look. “Okay… Anyone seen Anne this morning? She wasn’t there when I woke up.”

“I think she’s in the living room,” Tom replied.

Cathy nodded and went into the living room. Anne met her at the door and they shared a quick kiss. “Hi, angel,” Cathy said. 

“That’s a new one.” Anne smiled. “I like it.”

“Good! I’ve been trying to come up with pet names for you that I don’t use for Mae.”

“I still like calling you love because I love you.”

“Aww, I love you, too,” Cathy replied.

Lizzie and Mae walked past the couple, presumably to go to the playroom. Lizzie made a gagging noise as she went by.

Anne laughed as Will walked in. “What was that all about?” he asked.

Cathy shrugged. “I told Anne I love her and Lizzie did that.” Will nodded and turned to leave, but Cathy grabbed his arm and dragged him to the couch. “I haven’t hardly seen you the whole time I’ve been here,” she said. “Anne, get your cute little ass over here.” Anne blushed and walked over to sit next to Cathy. 

“This better be quick, I’m supposed to call someone in half an hour,” Will stated. 

Cathy’s eyes lit up. “Oh? Who’re you calling?”

He smiled shyly. “My boyfriend…”

“Oh my god, I wanna meet him! Anne, don’t we wanna meet him?” she asked.

“Uh...sure,” Anne replied.

“He’s probably not up yet,” Will explained. “But I can show you a picture.” Cathy nodded, and Will pulled up a picture of his boyfriend on his phone.

“He’s a keeper,” Cathy decided. “What’s his name?”

“Jake,” Will sighed. 

“Well, bring him over next time I’m here. I wanna meet him in person.”

Will shook his head, still smiling, and walked out of the living room and up the stairs. He went into the playroom, where Mae was playing with a doll by herself. Her face lit up when she saw him. 

“Uncle Will!” she shouted, giving him a hug before going right back to playing. Will sat down on the floor.

After a little while, Mae crawled into Will’s lap. “Uncle Will?” she asked.

“Yeah?”

“Do you like-like girls?”

Will laughed. “No, I don’t. I like-like boys. What about you?” Mae shrugged. “Well, you’re still little. You have plenty of time to decide,” Will said. “There are even some people that like-like both boys and girls,” he added.

Mae nodded. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“I do.”

“Is he cute? What’s his name?” Mae asked.

Will smiled. “His name is Jake, and he’s very cute. Don’t steal him from me.”

“I won’t,” Mae replied. “Lizzie won’t either, she has a boyfriend.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. His name is Eddie. I don’t think he’s very cute.”

They talked for a little while longer, until Cathy poked her head into the playroom. “Time to get ready to go, Mae,” she said. Mae gave Will a hug and followed Cathy. 

As soon as she was in the car, buckled in her carseat, she sang, “Lizzie has a boyfriend!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things are heating up. lizzie is a queen. mae is a tattletale.
> 
> it’s 2:30 am and i regret nothing


	12. The Closest Thing To Smut I’ll Probably Ever Write

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw referenced/implied sexual content
> 
> alright have fun!

“What am I supposed to do about it?” Anne asked.

Cathy grabbed one of Anne’s hands and stroked her knuckles with her thumb. “I’m not sure, angel. Maybe you could talk it over with Lizzie?”

“Maybe. I can’t talk to her about it around Mae, though, god only knows what would happen.”

Cathy hummed a response, then thought for a bit. “C’mon,” she said, walking towards Anne’s bedroom.

“What’re you doing?” Anne inquired.

“You’re too stressed,” Cathy replied, grabbing Anne’s other hand and attempting to pull her to the bedroom.

“Cathy, we can’t do that now, not with the girls here.”

Cathy gave Anne a strange look. “You know for a fact I wouldn’t suggest sex while they could hear and potentially walk in.”

“What’re you gonna do then?” Anne asked.

“I think you need a back rub. How does that sound?”

“Lead the way,” Anne said with a smile.

When they got to Anne’s bedroom, Cathy closed the door. “Alright. If you’re cool with it, can you take off your shirt and bra and then lay face down on the bed?” 

Anne undressed as Cathy told her to. Once she took off her bra, she caught Cathy staring. “See something you like?” she asked jokingly.

“Such pretty tits,” Cathy murmured. “A shame I can’t touch them.” Anne crossed her arms and gave Cathy a “don’t even start” look before laying down. Cathy started massaging Anne’s lower back, and before long-

“Jesus fucking christ, Cathy!”

“What?” Cathy asked, worried.

“You just popped, like, my entire spine!”

Cathy let out a sigh of relief. “D’you feel better?” Anne nodded against her pillow. Cathy leaned forward from where she was straddled over Anne’s legs, brushed Anne’s hair to one side, and pressed a kiss to the nape of Anne’s neck before kissing down her neck and across her shoulders.

“Cathy,” Anne grumbled.

“Hm?” Cathy asked, sitting up.

“I thought I told you not to start that.”

“Sorry,” Cathy said, moving off of Anne to lay down next to her. “I just miss you. Like, in that way. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, love.” Anne wrapped an arm around Cathy and pulled her close. “I forgive you. And I swear, I’ll take you out this weekend, m’kay?”

“I’d rather stay in,” Cathy admitted. “We can take the girls over to Jane’s, get some takeout, have a couple drinks, and go from there.”

“That sounds great. What do you say we go over to your place for a change? Then there’s no chance the girls would hear us.”

“I think that’s a fabulous idea. Speaking of my place, I’d better get home.”

“One more thing?” Anne asked.

“Sure,” Cathy agreed.

Anne smiled, then moved to sit up. Cathy mirrored this movement. Anne cupped one of Cathy’s cheeks in her hand and leaned in, gently bringing their lips together. Anne slipped her tongue into Cathy’s mouth, and Cathy reciprocated the motion.

Cathy pulled away, tugging Anne’s lower lip with her teeth. “I really do need to go now. I have some shopping to do,” she explained.

Anne sighed. “Okay. Thanks for cracking my back.”

“Anytime. See you this weekend?”

“Absolutely.” 

Cathy left the bedroom to go get Mae, and Anne slipped her shirt back over her head. “Lizzie!” she called.

Lizzie slid into Anne’s bedroom. “Yes, Mama?” she asked sweetly.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Anne asked.

“No, but there’s a boy that I like and he likes me back,” Lizzie explained.

Anne raised her eyebrows. “Really? Who is it?”

Lizzie smiled. “It’s Eddie. I think he’s cute.”

Anne lifted Lizzie up onto the bed. “Honey, I think it’s great that you like Eddie, but I don’t think you’re quite ready for a boyfriend, okay?”

Lizzie nodded. “Okay, Mama. I’ll just wait until I’m old enough to have a boyfriend.”

Anne chuckled. “You crack me up, kiddo.”

The week went by at a decent pace, but come Saturday night, Anne was more than ready to see Cathy. She dug in her closet for a while, finally settling on a short, tight, low-cut green dress and black heels. Yes, they were staying in, but that didn’t mean Anne couldn’t look fabulous.

She put together a bag containing pajamas, clothes for the next morning, and her silk bathrobe. Before she left her apartment, she grabbed a bottle of wine from the cabinet.

Once the couple had arrived at Cathy’s apartment, they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. They somehow managed to stumble over to the sofa, lips locked together the entire time. Anne hit the couch first, and Cathy straddled her torso as they continued to kiss. 

“Hey,” Anne said, pulling away, “can we slow down just a little bit? We haven’t even had any drinks yet.”

Cathy took a deep breath in and nodded before untangling herself from Anne, who got up to retrieve her wine and two glasses from the kitchen. Somewhere on her way back to the living room, she decided it might be fun to tease Cathy.

That ended up not panning out quite as well as she thought.

Her dress was completely ruined.

She nearly punched a hole in the wall with one of her heels.

And worst of all:

Cathy let her get  _ very _ close to the edge, and then-

Denied.

Serves her right.

Then, when she was finally allowed to come, she screamed so loud she was pretty sure the whole building could hear her.

After Anne was sufficiently worn out, Cathy went back into the living room, poured herself another glass of wine, and turned on a movie.

Eventually, Anne stumbled out of the bedroom and flopped onto the couch. She initially laid down on the opposite end of the sofa from Cathy, but she was on the other end cuddling with her in no time.

As the little spoon.

This was new.

But she liked it.

At least, that’s what Cathy thought. A good hypothesis, as Anne was out like a light in a matter of minutes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was an iNtErEsTiNg one to write. hope you enjoyed!


	13. candlelight dinner: 2 am style

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey all! to pass some time between a couple important things in here there’s gonna be a bit of a fluff fest! the chapters are gonna be shorter (500-600 as opposed to 900-1000) and i will be taking requests! (there’s gonna be like... somewhere between 5 and 10 of these chapters)

After that night, the couple took to their relationship with a renewed passion. Nights, afternoons, and sometimes even mornings at Jane’s were becoming quite common for Lizzie and Mae, and Anne and Cathy went on almost every date they could think of, with more than a few ending at Cathy’s apartment.

One particular night, they went to a club. The atmosphere there wasn’t divine, at least not to Anne, but Cathy was having fun, so they stayed.

Eventually, Cathy wanted to go. Anne had been wishing they were anywhere but that club for hours at that point.

So they went back to Anne’s apartment. Sooner or later, Cathy announced that she was hungry. Anne decided dinner sounded like a great idea. 

Dinner at two in the morning. 

_ Maybe  _ they watched a couple movies.

The problem with eating dinner at two in the morning is that most restaurants aren’t going to be open. So in order to have dinner at 2 A.M., one must  _ make  _ dinner. 

They decided on grilled cheese sandwiches. 

“Question,” Cathy asked.

“Hm?”

“If Lizzie can’t have dairy products, why do you keep cheese and regular milk and all that in your fridge?”

“For when we have visitors,” Anne replied simply. “And myself,” she added, causing Cathy to giggle. “Now, I’ll start on the sandwiches, and you look in the fridge and see if I’ve got any salad stuff.”

“Grilled cheese and salad. Fine dining if I ever heard of it,” Cathy quipped.

Anne grabbed Cathy’s hands and pulled her close. “Only the best for you, my love.”

Cathy smiled. “You, my dear-” she booped Anne on the nose- “are adorable.” Anne stuck out her tongue at Cathy and went to find a pan for the grilled cheeses. Cathy crossed her arms, looking neglected.

Anne gave her a look. “C’mon. We need to eat something before we start cuddling. I can tell just  _ looking _ at you that you’re gonna fall asleep fast.”

Cathy pouted. “But you’re warm,” she whined. 

“And I’ll still be warm later. You need to eat. Skipping meals isn’t fun.”

“‘M not hungry,” Cathy argued. 

“Are you feeling alright?” Anne inquired.

“I feel fine. I’m just not hungry.”

“That’s weird. Ten minutes ago you said you were starving.”

Cathy exhaled sharply in defeat and turned to sit down.

Anne laughed. “No salads, I’m guessing?”

“Nope. Not feeling it anymore.”

Anne frowned a little but continued to look for a skillet. “Y’know what? We should take the girls out for ice cream soon.”

“Anne? Are you mental?” Cathy asked. “It is  _ late January _ . There is  _ snow _ on the ground. I don’t think it’s quite ice cream weather.”

Anne sighed. “In that case, there’s a bakery a couple blocks from the hospital. I’ve been dying to go.”

“That sounds fantastic.” 

Eventually, Anne managed to finish the sandwiches. She put them on the table before dimming the lights significantly.

“What are you doing?” Cathy asked incredulously.

Anne stayed silent. Cathy’s question was answered when Anne brought out two candles, set them on the table, and lit them.

Grilled cheese by candlelight.

How romantic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> requests are open!

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you think! i’ll also take requests for oneshots if you’re looking for something specific!


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